Description
Adoption is the legal process of establishing a legal parent-child relationship when the adopting parent is not the child’s biological or birth parent. That means that once the adoption is final, the adoptive parents have all the legal rights and responsibilities of a parent-child relationship. That new parent-child relationship is permanent and is exactly the same as that of a birth family. An adoptive parent can be a stepparent or domestic partner of one of the birth parents, a relative of the child who has been caring for the child or someone not related to the child by blood.
In a stepparent adoption, a pre-placement home study is not required, but a six-month evaluation will be required prior to finalization. This is done by a county employee, usually the probation department. The fee will be under $1,000. Both the parent who will be retaining their rights and the parent giving up their rights must consent to the new parent assuming parental responsibilities.
Includes:
| RA Cost = | $509 |
| Court Fee = | $435 |
| Report Fee = | $700 |
| Total = | $1644 |